Scarves and Hoods
by Zeltra
Summary: Zelda had always thought herself weak, despite others' words. She put on the guise of Sheik a long time ago, but are her lies going to catch up with her? AU one-shot.


**A/N: So, has this ever happened to you guys; you're writing a story, and you come up with some ideas that have nothing to do with the current one, so you try writing another one to get the thoughts off of your mind? WELL, THAT'S HAPPENED TO ME TWICE NOW! This title sucks, though. And the concept's a bit old. It's pretty short, too. An AU high school one-shot, written from Zelda's point of view, hope you guys enjoy it.**

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Scarves and Hoods

_~Three years before~_

It was the first time with the contacts. First time with the scarf. First time with the beanie. First time with the temporarily lower voice. First time I could fight.

My father had always said I was strong. He had always called me a fighter with words.

Why not actions?

I started practicing kicks and punches with bushes and trees, finding ways of making sure the needles and branches don't stab or poke me. I found ways to flip and jump to dodge attacks, even with no one else there.

One day, I was practicing with my needles, pieces of thin metal I had made myself, against a tree to test my accuracy. I threw five at once, all of them stabbing the trunk of the thick wood.

"Nice shot, for a girl."

I looked up, my beanie threatening to fall because of my sudden movement.

On the roof of our neighbor's house, I saw a green hood. The figure wearing it got out a small slingshot and aimed it at the same tree. I heard the thong slap, but I didn't see any ammunition. When I looked at the oak, I saw that five leaves in a row had small holes in them, not torn in any way but perfect circles.

"You too, Robin Hood," I told the figure.

They gave a small laugh. They jumped from the roof onto the top branch of the tree, climbing their way down expertly.

The person removed their hood, revealing a blonde boy about my age with fierce blue eyes and a smirk.

"I'm Link. You?"

I was about to say my real name, but with this new 'look' I had, I looked like a completely different person than I normally was. My normal self was more of a prissy girl, while this self was more of a tomboy. I felt boyishly chic.

"I'm Sheik."

The boy tilted his head a bit. "You look familiar."

Of course I did. I was in his seventh grade class! "I wouldn't know why. I'm homeschooled and such."

"Hm," he shrugged. "Well, I'll see you around."

"Later."

And with that, he sprinted into the road, crossing with no fear of oncoming traffic.

"I'm Zelda," I whispered to the empty air.

.

I was going up with him like I always did. It was a Saturday at the tail end of summer. I had crafted myself a fool-proof mask since then. Now we were both high-schoolers, more mature than we were three years prior. More experienced in combat.

We sparred in the alley on a regular basis, and I almost always beat him. We usually fought hand-to-hand, but occasionally I would hide a needle in my converse to throw at him once we started. The only days I did that were the days he had annoyed me at school, but he never knew.

He, at one point, had asked me to teach him how to use my needles. He never caught on much, but he was a beast with a dagger. He had stolen one of the knives from Telma's bar and sharpened it to his liking. I had a scar on my leg and a new pair of spandex from his first time using it on me.

I neared Telma's bar. It was more crowded, it being a Saturday, so instead of just walking in front of the entrance to get to our meeting place, I climbed up a safety ladder on the outer wall and onto the roof of the small building. I walked over the bar, the ground shaking under my feet from the noise. Once at the other edge, I jumped onto the barrels of beer and wine softly. I jumped down onto the concrete and looked back up to the roof, expecting to see him at any moment.

I heard footsteps behind me in the alley. As I turned, I was expecting to see my friend in a hood.

Instead, I saw a stranger.

"Whudd'rya doin' out at a time like this, lil' lady?" the drunkard slurred.

I turned completely around, digging through my satchel while maintaining a steady stance, ready to throw my needles and more if needed.

The drunk cackled. "Whuddya think yer doin'? Tryin'a be all tough'n such?"

I grasped a handful of needles from my bag. I swung my hand up to my face, seeming to pull down my scarf, while in reality, I had thrown each of the needles at the man without him knowing in the slightest.

The man tore one of the metal strips out of his shoulder. "Playin' tough, huh?" He lazily ran towards me, more tumbling than attacking. I expertly dodged, and as he fell over himself, I stepped on his back to keep him down. He fell asleep in minutes.

I began to walk out of the alley when I heard a soft _thud_ behind me. I turned, knowing who it was.

"Hello, stranger," I greeted, making sure my tone was deeper than usual.

"Nice work," he replied.

"That was easy," I waved it off as nothing.

"Uh, Sheik," he pointed to my face. My scarf had dropped down around my neck. I hurried to pull it back up over my nose.

"Thanks."

"You know, you still look familiar."

"We've went over this a million times."

"Who are you really?"

I sighed. "Someone you know."

"Obviously I know who you are; you're Sheik."

"That's not all there is to it."

"Then why don't you tell me the rest?"

"You're not ready for the truth yet."

"Will I see you soon?"

"You'll see me in two days."

His piercing, blue eyes filled with confusion. "Where? Will we meet here?"

I shuffled a bit, the scarf around my mouth trying to slip. I pulled my white beanie on tighter.

"Answer me!" his voice echoed through the alley. All I could see was his face, full of sadness and anger.

"I'm sorry, Link."

With that, I ran, leaving him in his conflicts.

_._

"Zelda!"

I turned to see my best friend, Aryll, calling to me and waving frantically. I smiled back. She sprinted to me, her periwinkle skirt fluttering as she ran.

"Hey, Aryll," I said, chuckling at her breathlessness.

"You want to go somewhere this weekend?" she said, panting.

"Actually, I have plans," I said calmly, the lie rolling off my tongue smoothly.

Her head tilted as her face contorted into bewilderment. "Did you finally get a boyfriend?"

"No!" I scoffed. "I just have a meet-up with a friend."

"Is it a guy?" she winked.

"Yes, but he's also _taken_," I sighed. She didn't – couldn't – know I liked her brother and had seen him after school for the past few months. Years, in fact. Of course, he didn't know it either.

I heard footsteps coming down the hallways. Two boys and a girl were about to pass by us.

"'Hoy, Big Brother!" Aryll called jokingly to the front-man in the miniature crowd.

"'Hoy, Aryll," he said, slowing his forward motion and stopping in front of us. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his dark emerald hoodie, and his dirty blonde, shaggy hair was pulled into a loose, low ponytail. His eyes seemed to glow mischievously, the bright blue boring like that of a wolf on the prowl. He smirked at his little sister, ruffling her hair.

His friends stood behind him. Pipit wore a plain, yellow shirt, his blue eyes bright with laughter and his brown hair shaking from movement. Saria's naturally green hair was pulled back with a blue headband. Her short brown leggings and green shirt matched her love for wildlife perfectly. Her wide, emerald eyes playfully watched her friend pick on his sibling.

"Where's Ilia?" Aryll asked, straightening back up.

_I hope she fell down a pit…_

"She has a cough," Saria stated worriedly.

_That works, too._

"Yeah, she's a little sick today," Link shrugged.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about your girlfriend than _that_?" I asked him dryly.

"She a tough girl," he waved it off. "I seem to know a lot of those."

I raised an eyebrow. "Like who? Besides any of us and Ilia." I mentally scolded myself for asking that.

"Well…" he scratched his head in thought, "I've known this girl since seventh grade, and she fights just like a dude. Her name is Sheik."

My mask doesn't falter. I simply say "She sounds interesting."

"She is," he replied, a smirk again finding a way onto his face. "And she can kick someone's ass, no problem. Even me."

"That's new," Aryll says.

"She said two days ago that I'd see her today, but I haven't yet."

"Maybe you have and you just don't know it," I offered, again scolding myself. He acknowledged this with a shrug.

"I'd like to meet her!" Aryll squeaked. "Where do you think you'll see her again?"

"Probably in that alley near Telma's," he replied.

"Yeah, I kinda want to meet this girl now, too," Pipit said. "She sounds badass."

My mask had yet to fall off. "I would like to meet her, too, but I have something else going on tonight."

"Aw," Link laughed. "Poor you."

I glared at him sarcastically. "See you later."

"Bye, Brother," Aryll said, giving him a high-five.

Saria and Pipit both waved.

"See you," Link said as he turned to leave.

And just like that, he was swallowed by the mob of students in the halls.

_Yeah, you will._

"Well," Aryll turned to me, not knowing what silent trauma I was going through, "let's get to Phys Ed."

I nodded, and followed her down the other side of the hallways.

.

"DAD! I'M HOME!"

My voice rang through my mostly empty house. It was huge, but there was barely anything in it. What was in it was so expensive, it was taunting me to use it as target practice.

"Hello, my princess," my father's voice came from the study. I decided I shouldn't bother him.

"I'm meeting up with a friend later. I won't be back 'till late."

"Okay."

_You never care, do you?_

I climbed up the winding stairs and ran to my bedroom. The first thing I did was what little calculous homework I had, then I got to my real work.

I put on a blue tank top, slipping a white one with a red eye-shaped design on it that was a lot looser. I clasped a gold multi-layered chain around my neck. I put dark blue spandex on under my jean shorts. I raised my dresser until I found a pair of white knee-high socks and put them on, following them up with cerulean high-top converse. As I finished lacing them up, I grabbed my white bangles and slipped nine on each wrist. Finally, I grabbed my white beanie and scarf and stepped into my bathroom.

I took my long, blonde hair out of its ponytail, braiding it down my back instead. I stuck the white beanie on top of my head, my bangs getting in my face. I didn't care. I tied the scarf around my neck, making sure to cover my mouth and nose. Lastly, I grabbed the contact case out of the cabinet and placed them on my eyes. When I looked in the mirror, instead of the purple that was usually there, I saw crimson staring back at me.

_I'm ready._

.

It was just starting to get dark outside. I climbed out of my bedroom window and landed on the tree branch that extended right under it. I landed on the ground smoothly, barely making any noise. I sprinted to the sidewalk and ran all the way to our meeting place. I watched as many people walking down the concrete walkways looked at me strangely. I was used to it.

This was fun.

As I neared Telma's bar, I slowed my run to a fast-walk, not even needing to stop for a breath of air. I smelled the cars on the streets and the alcohol in the building next to me, hearing screeches from tires and horn and shouts and glasses breaking. I squinted in the limited light, looking for him.

"Why do you always wear that scarf?"

I heard someone jump down from one of the barrels of beer, not yet able to see them.

"You know how many guys try to kiss me in a day?" I said, shifting my voice to a deeper tone than my normal one.

"Well, I couldn't see why they'd do that," he mumbled as he stepped into the light enough that I could see his silhouette. His hood was flipped onto his head.

"Are you here alone?"

"Maybe," he sighed, "if Pipit, Saria, and Aryll didn't follow me."

I let a small laugh escape my mouth.

He stepped closer to me slowly. "What were you talking about two days ago?" his eyes looked distant. "I didn't see you until now."

"Yes, you did. You were talking to me earlier."

His eyes changed to a look of agitation. "No, I didn't, Sheik."

"Yes, you did!" my voice changed back to Zelda's. "You talked to me during school!"

He seemed to catch my slip-up. "Sheik? Your voice sounds a lot like someone else's I know."

"What a coincidence," I mumbled, trying to get Sheik's voice back.

"I'll say," he said stoically.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You look like her too, if so vaguely." He stepped closer to me. "Take the scarf off."

My eyes widened. "No! You can't make me!"

He slipped his hood off of his head, revealing his ponytail. He stood steady, hands extended, silently asking me to fight.

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously?"

"If you won't take that thing off, I'll do it myself."

I reached for my needles again.

"Hand to hand, you little cheater."

I huffed in disgust. "Fine." I grabbed my satchel strap and flung it against the wall. I walked up calmly to him, mirroring his stance, placing the back of my hand lightly against his.

"Ready?" he whispered.

"This will be quick," I smirked.

He shuffled his front foot.

_Must be trying to trip me._

"GO!" he yelled. He ducked down while I jumped straight into the air, correct in my assumption.

"Really?" I asked smugly.

He glared at me quickly, reaching out to me, looking as to hit me. Instead of ducking, I leaned backwards, knowing he was faking it. I reached out behind me, but my hands hit a wall. I improvised, pushing off the wall and kicking him in the chest, making him stumble. As he tried to regain his balance, I grabbed onto his shoulders and pinned him down to the ground, falling to my knees to bring him with me. He fell onto his back with a sharp grimace.

"I told you," I whispered.

He moved his arm up to my face quickly, and I instinctively closed my eyes.

When I looked back at him, his eyes were bugged, the blue boring into my fake crimson.

"Sh-Sheik?" he rasped.

That's when I noticed my scarf was hanging off of my neck, not tied over my nose. I sat back on my feet, covering my mouth with my hands. I felt tears sting the back of my eyes.

"Answer me," he said, sitting up.

"I hate you so much right now," I mumbled dryly, not bothering to use Sheik's voice.

"Zelda?!"

"Took you three years, genius?" I stood up and walked over to my satchel, pulling out the tiny hand mirror I had in there. I looked into it, barely seeing my reflection in the dim light. I saw enough, though, to see my eyes. I stiffly took the contacts out, dropping them onto the ground, not needing them anymore.

I closed the mirror and stuffed it back into my bag. When I turned around, Link was right behind me. He grabbed my hands and pushed me against the stone wall. I struggled to get out of his grasp, but to no avail.

"Why?" his voice was shaking with anger and hurt.

"I-I'm sorry," was all I could choke out. I lowered my head, letting it hang down lazily, hiding my tears.

"Zelda, why have you been lying to me?"

"I didn't know how to tell you."

"Why the disguise?"

"People can't know I fight!"

"Why not?!" His voice was bordering insanity.

"People see me as weak," I sniffled. "I created Sheik to prove them wrong."

"Zelda…"

He loosened his grip, but I didn't try to get out.

"You were never weak."

My eyes widened as I raised my head to meet his gaze. My vision was blurry from tears, so much so that I couldn't see his eyes. I slipped my wrists from his hands and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down, and digging my face into his chest. He didn't act surprised. He only returned the embrace, his hands weaving around my waist.

"You were _never_ weak," he repeated.

I lifted my head again and kissed him.

He pulled away, surprised. "You're just full of it today, aren't you?"

"I-I'm so sorry!" I stumbled for words. "I forgot about Ilia, and-"

He leaned in and kissed me again. When he let go, it was my turn to be confused.

"Forget Ilia. You know how long I've been waiting to do that?" A slight hint of a smile spread onto his face.

"To Sheik or Zelda?" I asked, returning his smirk.

He sat there thinking for a second. "Both, kind of."

I found my way out of his arms and grabbed my satchel. "See you tomorrow."

"And now, I'll know what I'm looking for."

As I passed by him again, about to step out of the alley, I grabbed onto his shirt collar and kissed him one more time.

"I've been waiting to do that for a while, too, you know?"

A smug smirk took over his face.

I ran away giggling.

.

I wore my disguise to school the next day. Scarf, beanie, all but the contacts.

I walked through the doors of the school and was immediately greeted by Aryll, Pipit, Saria, and Link.

"Woah!" Aryll exclaimed. "Who are you, and what have you done with Zelda?!"

I chuckled a bit.

"Hello there, 'Sheik'," Link said.

Pipit, Saria, and Aryll all looked at him, then to me, with dazed eyes. We both laughed as I lowered my scarf.

"You too, Robin Hood," I said.

"Link broke up with Ilia yesterday," Aryll tried to change the subject.

"But none of these guys," Link gestured to the three people standing next to him, "know why."

Saria looked at me, expression pricelessly lost. "You know why, Zel?"

"I would," I seethed, "because I'm the reason."

More surprised looks, more laughter from Link and I.

_I feel like I've accomplished something._


End file.
